Solstice and Equinox in Polish traditions

SpringWater-prank Day called Śmigus-dyngus is a custom celebrated on Easter Monday. The boys beat willow switches or palm the legs of young girls and pour cold water over them, which symbolize the spring cleaning of dirt and diseases. The lack of interest on the part of the local bachelors has foreboded spinsterhood.

Summer

In the slavonic tradition Midsummer Eve called Sobótka was feast of water and fire, but also the feast of love, fertility, the Sun and the Moon. Customs and rites of cultivated on the night of 23 to 24 June ensure the health and fertility. During the shortest night of the year burned bonfires, dancing around with against a backdrop of music. Old housewives cast to fire herbs: mugwort, sage, rue. By jumping and dancing around bonfires young people had to clear and protect against spells and diseases. Young girls-virgin plaited wreaths of flowers and herbs, and then threw them into the water (rivers, lakes). The boys tried to pick them out. Girls foretold about getting married on the basis of this, whose wreath who caught, whose drowned, whose far sailed. Were also young couples on the lonely walks in the woods in search of the flower of the fern, which find boded happiness.

AutumnHarvest Festival is a rite to complete the harvest and field work during which thanked for this year's yields and asked even better next year. Currently harvest's celebrations have both religious and popular character. The ceremonies presided over by village headmen. First are wreaths made from cereal plants, fruits, vegetables, wild flowers. Then village headmen hand loaf of bread baked with flour from the recent crop to the host of harvest festival – a priest or a representative of the local authorities. During the ceremony the participants in the harvest festival sing special songs and submit symbolic gifts from the latest harvest, fruits, vegetables, honey ... Harvest's celebrations end with the fete for all inhabitants of the village.

WinterIn the period from Christmas Eve to Three Kings Day the groups of carol singers have visited each farm in the countryside with the wishes of prosperity in the new year. They received from the hosts gifts – food or small cash donations. The carol singers walked with a star made of colored paper. Very popular were groups with the animal masks: goat, bear, stork, which were accompanied by playing a comical scenes and frightening viewers. Among the carol singers appear so-called Herody – a group playing a biblical story about coming to the world of Jesus contained the funny folk threads. There appeared the shepherds, the Kings, grandfather, a Jew, death, the devil. Requirements have been in the form of a hilarious recitations, songs, and the whole show was accompanied by a general atmosphere of merriment.